DENVER -- Imagine Communications, Inc., a new digital video technology company, today unveiled details of its initial PersonalizedTV(TM) platform solution, the Quality On Demand Gateway (QOD(TM) Gateway). The QOD Gateway system is the underlying infrastructure of Imagine's breakthrough technology, designed to cost-effectively enable tremendous bandwidth improvements, enhanced video quality, and customized service offerings such as targeted ads and personalized audio.
By implementing its technology in software, Imagine is able to leverage powerful, carrier-grade, off-the-shelf hardware that is available from multiple suppliers. Imagine's technology can be used in both a stored VOD (video on demand) and real-time (switched) environment. The company's initial product, the QOD Gateway, focuses on the MPEG-2 VOD cable market and ushers in a totally different, revolutionary way of using standardized tools in the area of video coding and multiplexing to ensure the best video quality at the lowest bit rate. The QOD Gateway incorporates a novel, third-generation method of statistical multiplexing for standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) VOD content that supercharges VOD expansion with much greater streaming capacity and enhanced video quality.
"We're unveiling our initial product at a time when operators are starting to feel the increasing bandwidth crunch from the growing demand for personalizedTV viewing, particularly with the impending mass adoption of HDTV and VOD, and the growing interest in niche programming, targeted advertising and network PVR," said Fred Cary, Imagine's president and CEO. "This new breed of digital TV delivery and viewing requires a revolutionary approach to how digital video is processed and scaled, which is the essence of our PersonalizedTV platform."
Imagine Communications plans to demonstrate, for the first time, the QOD Gateway at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo this week in Denver in booth #1742, June 21-23.
"VOD (including HD-VOD) is the single biggest differentiator in the video area for cable operators versus their DBS competitors," stated Marc Tayer, Imagine's SVP marketing and business development. "Cable operators have a window of opportunity to even more aggressively use VOD as a marketing weapon for subscriber growth, retention and satisfaction. With HD-DVD and Blu-ray players hitting the market this year, now is the time to push the envelope with HD-VOD. And as subscribers' taste for better video quality continues to improve, our QOD Gateway can dial up the video quality to levels well above today's limitations, providing an unmatched viewing experience for consumers."
Imagine Communications